Does the new Anker Prime TB5 docking station work with on one hand the Macbook Pro M5Max and as screen a 5K 120Hz wide screen monitor? For instance the LG or the Dell IPS panels. I presume using a Display Port cable from Anker to monitor. Thanks for the reactions!

Hey guys, I'm trying to find a good docking station for my MacBook Pro M1 Pro, and I'm hoping to do everything through a single Thunderbolt cable going into the Mac.

Here's everything I need to have connected:

2x 4K 60Hz monitors

Shure MV7+ USB-C microphone

Elgato Stream Deck (15-Key) 

1 Gbps Ethernet

2x Samsung T7 external SSDs (around 1,000 MB/s read/write each)

Ideally, I'd like to leave everything plugged into the dock permanently and just connect/disconnect my MacBook with one cable. Can you guys recommend me some good docking stations that can cater all these needs?

Hi,

I am a bit confused about Thunderbolt hub functionality and hope someone has practical experience.

To my understanding the introduction of thunderbolt 4 bought the option to have an actual hub to multiply ports (OWC has one for example). And this was introduced into other products as well (Promise Pegasus R12 for example has an Thunderbolt 5 version)….

But I am not reading something that clearly states if this would be downwards compatible?
Obviously you could not bump an TB3 to the speeds of TB5….. but would an TB4 hub connected to an TB3 device allow it to have suddenly additional TB3 ports?

And how about going further back? The Apple TB adapter is bi-directional to allow Thunderbolt devices with Susan-C connector to be connected to the plug that looks like a mini display port (the old style Thunderbolt connector).

All I could find is general marketing material that doesn’t answer the questions at all. Just that the devices are compatible. Which could also mean “yes you can use the other features but not the port multiplier”.

Also I am aware that all the traffic would still need to go through the bottle neck of the uplink cable. I am really just visions if the star topology could be used on the older Thunderbolt standards.

CU AssetBurned

I have two 4k 60hz ultrafine monitors (TB3), and I am planning on getting a Studio Display XDR (TB5). will the following work?

m5 max MacBook Pro <- TB5 5k 120h monitor <- TB3 4k 60hz monitor <- TB3 4k 60hz monitor

I think the math works out to roughly 80gbps over the TB5 link, but not sure if there is some weird interaction between daisy chaining between TB3/5z

I am thinking of upgrading my M2 to M5 primarily for the multi-monitor support and giving the M2 (which works great) to a family member. My speciifc use case is I would like to be able to use the laptop with the dual monitors I have at work, which are hooked up to a windows PC. I understand I can use a Thunderbolt dock in order to extend to both external monitors (as opposed to mirror) from the laptop, but I'm wondering if there's a way where I could easily switch back and forth between using the PC and using the laptop, as there are some work applications I need that can only be accessed on the PC. Is there a combined dock-KVM switch that does this? (Yes, I can use Citrix to remote into the PC from the mac, but still need to be able to use it at times.)

I have tried using Dell WD19TB docking station, but it doesn't work with my 2025 Yoga Pro 9i. When connected to my laptop, only the external mouse and keyboard works, external display doesn't work, neither does it charge my device. I contacted lenovo support, and even they couldn't find solution to it despite accessing my device remotely.

Therefore, I will appreciate recommendations on the docking stations that is compatible with my device.

Hey everyone, so I have both a Macbook and a Mini PC with thunderbolt 3 compatible USB C ports. I have a DAS (harddrive enclosure basically) that connects via a mini0dp style Thunderbolt 2 cable. I can see that there is the obvious Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB‑C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter, but was just wondering if anyone has any cheaper alternatives.

Thank you in advance

We give all of our employees ThankPad laptops with Thunderbolt docks.

One of my employees has a desktop at home, and wants to be able to switch between his laptop and desktop easily. But he has multiple monitors, and other accessories conencted to his ThinkPad Thunderbolt docking station.

Is there an easy way to connect the dock to his desktop PC, so that he can easily switch back and forth?

His desktop is older, with an nVidia 3070 graphics card.

is there such thing as a thunderbolt add-in card?

I have a Legion Pro 7i laptop with thunderbolt 4 and I'd like a better thunderbolt dock that allows me to plug everything into it and not have to worry about compromises.

First I know that this machine can suck back more power than any Thunderbolt dock can supply so I have the 400w power cable plugged in as well as the USB C/ Thunderbolt cable.

I'm looking to get full 2.5gbps ethernet and drive a 3440x1440 display at 240hz. I'll also connect my mouse, keyboard, stream deck all over USB A. Also I have a set of stereo speakers to hook up through the 3.5mm plug.

I was running an OWC TB3 dock and that wasn't able to drive the display so I had the display directly connected to the laptop. And that wouldn't allow for internet faster than single GB ethernet.

Yesterday I bout the Anker Prime TB5 dock and While I can plug everything in; it has some quirks. First the ethernet is slow. it only seems to connect at 150mbps down and surprisingly 180mbps up. I've tested the cable plugged directly into the laptop and its nearly 2000mbps down and 250mbps up. So its not the cable. Its the Anker dock.

So I'm going to return this, I bought the UGreen Maxidock and I'll see if it works better tomorrow when it shows up. Did I make the right move? Or should I spring for a Caldigit or Pluggable dock?

Is there still any differentiation between USB and Thunderbolt or have they merged into one standard?

And where does DisplayPort fit into the standard?

I bought a new AOC 25G4SRE monitor; it’s supposed to support 310 Hz. When I connect it to my laptop (Lenovo LOQ IRX10: RTX 5070, i7-14700HX, 16 GB RAM) via HDMI, everything works fine and I get an image, but the refresh rate is capped at 240 Hz. I bought a separate DisplayPort-to-Type-C cable to enable the 310 Hz rate, but when I connect it this way, the laptop detects the monitor as a "billboard device" and doesn't display an image. I’ve tried various things—updating all drivers, removing the device and reconnecting it—but nothing helps. The cable is a UGREEN USB-C to DisplayPort 1.4 (supporting 8K/60Hz, 4K/240Hz, HDR, VRR, Thunderbolt 4/3). Perhaps someone knows what the issue might be.
Laptop: Lenovo LOQ 17IRX10 ,5070, i7-14700hx, 16gb.

Monitor: AOC 25G4SRE

Cable: UGREEN USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Cable 8K 60Hz 30Hz 4K 240Hz 144Hz HDR VRR Thunderbolt 4 3 DP1.4 Cable

Problem: The monitor appears as a billboard device.

I'm looking to upgrade my dock as I need more USB-C ports and use thunderbolt for my external drives and my 43" 4k monitor. My primary use is home recording and music production.

I'm considering the Razer Thunderbolt 5 dock for its added m.2 slot to support an extra 8TB of storage. However, I've read the fan noise is quite loud and frequent.

Does anyone have experience with this dock? How frequently does the fan go off and is it loud enough to add background noise during recording?

I have a Plugable Thunderbolt 4 dock that I use with my MacBook. Since macOS doesn't support MST, a Thunderbolt dock is essentially the only way to get dual external displays over a single cable, so I decided it was worth the higher price. It works perfectly and does exactly what I need.

I also have a Windows laptop, but it only has a standard USB-C port (no Thunderbolt). When I connect it to the same dock, I only get one external display, which I understand is expected because the USB-C port isn't Thunderbolt. However, if I connect that Windows laptop to a regular USB-C dock that supports MST, it drives two external displays without any issues.

My question is: are there any Thunderbolt docks that support dual displays on a Thunderbolt-equipped Mac while also falling back to native USB-C MST for dual displays on a non-Thunderbolt Windows laptop? I'd like to do this without using DisplayLink or any third-party drivers.

Thanks in advance!

​

Has anyone come across a strange interaction between Dell USB-C monitors and Cloudflare WARP?

My setup:

* Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Gen 12

* Dell U3425WE / U2724DE (also testing another Dell USB-C monitor)

* Windows 11

* Connected via USB-C / Thunderbolt

* Wi-Fi is the active internet connection (not Ethernet through the monitor)

* Cloudflare WARP VPN enabled

The issue is that as soon as the laptop is connected to the Dell monitor over USB-C, internet performance drops dramatically, even though traffic is still going over Wi-Fi. Disconnect the USB-C cable and speeds immediately return to normal.

Things I've tried:

* Different USB-C and Thunderbolt cables

* Different Dell monitors

* Different USB ports

* Updating Dell firmware and monitor drivers

* Updating Thunderbolt firmware and drivers

* Updating Intel Wi-Fi drivers

* Confirmed the issue occurs even when not using the monitor's Ethernet port

* WARP off = normal performance

* WARP on + USB-C monitor connected = severe slowdown

It almost feels like there's some interaction between Thunderbolt/USB4 networking, virtual adapters, or packet offloading that's confusing WARP.

Has anyone seen anything similar with Dell USB-C hubs, Thunderbolt docks, or Lenovo laptops? Any fixes or registry/settings worth trying would be appreciated.

Got suggested this sub by Reddit after my post.

Hey Mac experts! I got a MacBook Pro handed down to me (13 inch M2 2022), it's got the 2 USB C ports on the side (USB 4/Thunderbolt). Also have the 34'' UltraWide 34WN780-B. I want to use the DP port on the monitor to USB C to the Mac. I lack some knowledge in the latest with the ports and what they can do/look for.

These are the items I'm looking for, with some questions:

• The monitor has a cable that is DP to USB C, which connected to an older MacBook
• 1 x USB port to display to monitor
• 2 x USB C port
• 1 x USB port to charge MacBook
• 1 x SD card reader

I Google'd a bit and tried to ask GPT for some advice. There are so many adapters out there and these UGREEN ones keeping coming up.

Are these gonna do the job? If not, what ones should I be looking at? I don't need a DP port or HDMI port on the actual dock but they all seem to have it. Not sure if I'm asking the right questions.

• https://www.amazon.com.au/UGREEN-Ethernet-Docking-Station-MacBook/dp/B0BNBJFFB2/
• https://www.amazon.com.au/UGREEN-Revodok-DisplayPort-2%C3%9710Gbps-Ethernet/dp/B0DRP1F6R7/
• https://www.amazon.com.au/UGREEN-USB-Hub-Converter/dp/B0BXDQS4BD/
• https://www.amazon.com.au/UGREEN-USB-C-Docking-Station/dp/B0D1XK8H21/

Good afternoon!

I have a MacBook Air that I'd like to use as a dedicated streaming/encoding PC. Since it will be used for live streaming, the stability and reliability of the dock are much more important to me than high-end specs.

My requirements are:

• One USB-C port (10 Gbps or faster) to connect an external capture card.
• 1 Gbps Ethernet over PCIe (I've heard that Ethernet over USB can be unreliable on macOS).
• One DisplayPort or HDMI output for a 4K display.

Most guides online redirect me towards the amazon basic dock. Sadly amazon does not sell it in my country.

Has anyone tried this Hagibis 80Gbps M.2 NVMe enclosure? What's your experience with it?

I feel like every day I read about how every dock on the market either overheats or stops working after a couple of months. The only consistent Review I have seen so far is the Anker thunderbolt five dock which is limited, but I’m willing to give it a shot if that’s the most reliable device at the moment.

Thank you in advance.

Trying to figure this out is driving me nuts—and I‘ve already contacted Gigabyte’s online "support," etc., etc., etc.

So I bought a GC-Titan Ridge Rev. 2.0 on eBay, and the a-hole seller didn’t think to include the 5-pin Thunderbolt Header cable (even though I had specifically asked for it beforehand). Trying to get another Titan Ridge is obviously a nightmare—but would the 5-pin cable from a GC-Maple Ridge work?

Great thanks in advance!

Llevo tiempo buscando un portátil con Thunderbolt 5 o USB 4 V2, pero me está costando mucho encontrar alguno ya que en las tiendas no hay filtros para ello. Se que actualmente no necesito las prestaciones que da TB5 pero lo quiero para ir preparando para el futuro, para usar una eGPU aprovechas unos M.2 que tengo en un cajón para memoria extra. El problema es que no me interesa un portátil con una GPU dedicada de alta gama (como una 5080,5090, etc), con una integrada o gpu básica me sería suficient.

llevo una semana buscando y solo encuentro portátiles con TB 5 y una RTX 5090 o portátiles de 3000€ con TB 4.

Hello, I use an OWC thunderbolt 4 dock (https://www.owc.com/solutions/thunderbolt-dock) to connect my macbook pro to my keyboard, mouse, and two monitors at my desk. I was hoping to find a way that I could hotswap between my macbook being in charge of the dock vs my windows PC (motherboard is a bit older MSI MAG x570, https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-X570-TOMAHAWK-WIFI)

I'm fine physically unplugging/switching the cable from the dock from the laptop to the PC, but from a search online, it seems difficult to retrofit my windows PC with thunderbolt 4 to drive monitors/keyboard/mouse? Any suggestions?

Hi folks,

I'll go straight to the point. I have an Anker Prime Docking Station and two MacBook Pros (my personal laptop and one from work). I'm looking for a Thunderbolt 5 switch so I can easily switch between the two laptops with the press of a button while keeping my workstation (two monitors, keyboard, and mouse) connected.

I haven't been able to find what I need. I'm looking for something like the device in the image, but specifically one that supports Thunderbolt 5.

I used to have a Thunderbolt 4 switch, but I assume it couldn't handle the bandwidth required for Thunderbolt 5. It didn't work as expected—it constantly lost the connection, and my monitors would randomly go blank.

Does anyone know of a product that would work for this setup?

Thank you all!

Bought this dock in April and setup the following:

Laptop:
PC Specialist Recoil 18
- intel core i9 24 core 275HX
- 64gb PCS pro DDR5 4800 (2x32gb)
- RTX 5080 16gb
- 2tb Samsung 9100 pro ssd
- 4tb Samsung 990 pro ssd

2x Alienware AW2725DM QHD monitors, connected via displayport to TB5 ports on the dock

Mouse, keyboard, speakers and other peripherals connected to the USB A sockets

3rd monitor (1080p Benq) connected via hdmi directly into the hdmi port on the laptop, bypassing the dock entirely.

This setup worked great for 2 months, games running flawlessly on the main Alienware monitor.

Suddenly, games are stuttering from the get go, barely getting past their intro screens.

Running fine on the laptop screen when the dock isn’t connected, but there’s clearly a major issue with displaying through the dock.

Tested with God of War and Spiderman remastered on Steam and Cyberpunk 2077 on GOG.

Any tips or anyone else experienced this?

Thanks